Vanguard University of Southern California
Costa Mesa, CA, United States
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
Vanguard University of Southern California has 12 programs with reported graduate earnings. The highest is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (master's), where graduates earn a median $130,059 one year after finishing, against $107,631 for the same field nationally.
Graduation rate
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
Students who return for a second year
Median earnings
$62,456
Former students who received federal aid
Source: U.S. College Scorecard, field of study, 2025
Median earnings of graduates who received federal aid, one and four years after finishing, and the median federal loan debt they borrowed at Vanguard University of Southern California. The field median is the middle value for the same field and credential across every college that reports it. 35 more programs have too few graduates for earnings to be published.
Highest-earning programs
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 54 | $100,785 | $102,239 | $86,02019% above | $19,500 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 76 | $42,322 | $62,957 | $64,5903% below | $19,250 |
| Psychology, General | 75 | $40,068 | $47,582 | $50,0665% below | $19,502 |
| Sociology | 13 | $43,317 | N/A | $40,6347% above | $25,000 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 32 | $38,936 | N/A | $41,9587% below | $23,250 |
| Biology, General | 27 | $36,963 | N/A | $37,2811% below | $21,500 |
| Religion/Religious Studies | 18 | $33,020 | N/A | $25,69728% above | $27,583 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 59 | $30,101 | N/A | $37,23219% below | $23,000 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 20 | $25,181 | N/A | $29,60815% below | N/A |
| Program | Graduates | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | Field median | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 8 | $130,059 | N/A | $107,63121% above | N/A |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | 37 | $64,315 | $75,686 | $65,74415% above | $52,452 |
| Curriculum and Instruction | 17 | $66,793 | N/A | $57,17417% above | N/A |
Careers linked to the programs Vanguard University of Southern California reports, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for the whole occupation, not for this college's graduates.
Healthcare practitioners
Master's degree
Via Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business Administration, Management and Operations, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business Administration, Management and Operations, Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
Science
Master's degree
Via Psychology, General, Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Computer and Information Sciences, General, Data Science and 1 more
Management
Bachelor's degree
Via Business Administration, Management and Operations
Verified facts
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Bars show profile closeness out of 100: how near each college's graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control are to Vanguard University of Southern California. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later card can score higher.
La Sierra University
Riverside, CA
Graduation rate 52%, close to 55%
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Profile closeness77/100
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Azusa, CA
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Profile closeness73/100
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Santa Barbara, CA
Enrollment 1,302 students, close to 1,933
Profile closeness70/100
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Riverside, CA
Graduation rate 60%, close to 55%
Profile closeness69/100
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Graduation rate 53%, close to 55%
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Same control type (private nonprofit)
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